The Guardian published an excerpt from former Australian Vogue editor Kirstie Clements’ new memoir, The Vogue Factor. In it, she describes how the modelling and fashion industries as a system are highly troubled. Even though she admits that the use of ever-thinner models is wrong and unhealthy, she writes: “It cannot be denied that visually, clothes fall better on a slimmer frame.” Isn’t that really a matter of taste? Acquired taste, certainly, taste brainwashed into our minds by exactly the same magazines Clements is writing about? Isn’t that also sort of lazy? She goes on saying: “The ‘fit’ model begins the fashion process: designer outfits are created around a live, in-house skeleton. Few designers have a curvy or petite fit model.” Well, what a surprise: Clothing looking better on the frame it was designed for and designed on! Clements quote makes it look as if there’s something inherent about clothes that make them look better on thin bodies, rather than the design process being the result of an imposed idea of beauty. If a designer claims to only be able to design for one body type, well, then he probably shows a lack of talent or creativity.

Go over to The Guardian and check out the article for yourself, it’s a lengthy, but quite interesting read.